Thiruvananthapuram:
The process of scientific documentation of the treasure at Kerala's Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple will begin on November 9. This was decided today at a meeting of the expert panel appointed by the Supreme Court.
The documentation will involve digital archiving of temple antiques, preparing a computerised data base and recording 3-D images of the treasure, reportedly worth 100,000 crores.
While Kerala State Electronic Corporation will implement the documentation process, ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre will provide the technical expertise.
The state government will bear the cost of the documentation process. The Supreme Court had ordered a detailed scientific documentation of the temple treasure after a local activist in Thiruvananthapuram accused the trust which governs the temple of mismanagement. The temple trust controlled by the erstwhile Travancore royal family.
"We have decided to start the documentation process on November 9. The preparedness for this will be assessed at another meeting on November 4. We are hopeful that documentation will start on November 9 itself," said CV Anandabose, the chairman of the Supreme Court-appointed expert panel.
Five of the six underground vaults at the 16th-century temple have so far been explored. They have delivered unimaginable treasure, much of it allegedly donated by devotees led by the royal family of Travancore.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the ornaments, cash and gold discovered at the temple need to be digitally archived before the last secret chamber is forced open. Vault B has not been touched so far. Local superstition warns of bad luck if it is entered. The Supreme Court has said that while it will be mindful of tradition and the sentiments of devotees, it will decide when the vault should be opened at its own discretion and not in consultation with priests.